Best platform for a 30.06 deer rifle

dumpdog

dumpdog

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Niagara Region, Ontario
I am getting into deer hunting (Northern Ontario) and have decided on a 30.06 after much nashing of teeth.

I am possibly considering a Remington 700 with a laminate stock. Any thoughts on this, or are there other rifles that will give me good value (accuracy, reliability and durability) for the money that I should consider?

Thanks in advance.
 
Mostly 700s are excellent rifles, and the laminated stock should remain stable in that crap weather common along the north shores of the big lakes. Choose a good quality low powered variable scope, solid mounts, and you're good to go.
 
How far up north from the Niagara Region are you referring to? Do you use tree stands, dogs or still hunt. If you use dogs or drive with doggers, shots can be fast and furious.
What will be your longest shot?
So many questions.

If it's woods hunting you are looking at, I might suggest a pump carbine in 30-06 rather that a bolt action. Most of the hunters in our camp use levers and semi's, only 1 bolt action in our group. I am considering going to a 270 or 308 pump myself.
257 Roberts
 
257Roberts said:
How far up north from the Niagara Region are you referring to? Do you use tree stands, dogs or still hunt. If you use dogs or drive with doggers, shots can be fast and furious.
What will be your longest shot?
So many questions.
Click to expand...

About a half hour north of Cochrane. Woods hunting out of a tree stand. Eventually I want to try Moose and if I am lucky maybe head down south for wild boar at some point in the future.
 
257Roberts said:
How far up north from the Niagara Region are you referring to? Do you use tree stands, dogs or still hunt. If you use dogs or drive with doggers, shots can be fast and furious.
What will be your longest shot?
So many questions.

If it's woods hunting you are looking at, I might suggest a pump carbine in 30-06 rather that a bolt action. Most of the hunters in our camp use levers and semi's, only 1 bolt action in our group. I am considering going to a 270 or 308 pump myself.
257 Roberts
Click to expand...


As stated earlier it depends on the type of hunting you will be doing and where.That is why I have a Rem 760 carbine (pump 30.06) with a red dot and a Savage FCSS 30.06 (Stainless Bolt action) with a Burris 3x9 for more open country .
90% of the shooting in my area is under 80yds and my pump works great.
Took a nice 10 point near Kingston at about 225 yds with it :)
 
dumpdog said:
I am getting into deer hunting (Northern Ontario) and have decided on a 30.06 after much nashing of teeth.

I am possibly considering a Remington 700 with a laminate stock. Any thoughts on this, or are there other rifles that will give me good value (accuracy, reliability and durability) for the money that I should consider?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Id look at the

Winchester Model 70
Tikka T3
Savagew/ accutrigger
Weatherby Vanguard
Ruger M77
Sako A7

All are good rifles under $1000

I won't recommend Remington after the disaster I had with them regarding a .204 that wouldn't eject spent cases. They're warranty is terrible and I was lucky that the dealer was a class act and took the rifle back.
 
You won't find a better rifle for the money than the Winchester Model 70, CRF (any new off the shelf M70). Comes in stainless, and .30-06 of course, a lot more rifle than an M700 for very little difference in price.

Going to the Model 70, you get a one piece bolt (the bolt handle is integral to the bolt), controlled round feed, an easier action to load and use, and a vastly superior safety. The quality is also much higher, a Remington has a soldered together three piece bolt, and very questionable safety. Other factors are the Model 70 is machined with an integral recoil lug and an action not made as a compromise so to speak out of roundstock like the Rem 700. The Remington sandwiches an loose recoil lug between the barrel and receiver to save costs and machining allowing the receiver to be 'pipe'. I've been burned by Remington and would strongly advise you look to Ruger or Winchester, the Ruger Model 77 comes with rings and an excellent mounting system free as well. Also available in stainless, they have the best floorplate release going, excellent three position wing safety like the Model 70, and are probably the toughest rifles in the class. All three, the Rem, the Ruger, and the Win all shoot equally well these days.
 
dumpdog said:
About a half hour north of Cochrane. Woods hunting out of a tree stand. Eventually I want to try Moose and if I am lucky maybe head down south for wild boar at some point in the future.
Click to expand...

Ruger,Savage, Win, Rem,or Browning would suit you well if you have your heart set on a bolt gun.

In a Semi, you could go Browning BAR, or Benelli R1

Rem makes a 7600 pump.

Browning BLR..
 
The best platform would be a level surface of wooden planking or one the new composite or plastic decking materials. If you want it raised, use at least 4x4 posts.

Did you mean to ask what would be the best type of rifle to be used for hunting deer? As a start, I would suggest something that is described without jargonesque terms, so you can understand what really is good about it.
 
Another choice that is not mentioned is Tikka.... I personally like Remingtons and have never been let down by any of my Rem rifles or shotguns but I must admit I have also heard many warranty nightmares from reputable sources...
 
Another vote for Win. M-70.
One question though, since when has the Cochrane area become a deer destination. North western Ontario has lots of deer but the North Eastern region is for moose not deer. Unless the situation has changed in recent years, as when I lived in that region deer were uncommon.
 
Any platform really. What can you say bad about the .30-06. Your 700 will make a fine rifle. I like M70s myself and had a sweet little Model70 Lightweight Carbine back nearly 30 years ago. It was accurate and carried nicely.
The only '06 I still own today is a M7400. Seems many swear at them, but I've had good service from 2 of these.

I don't recall the hunter, but a supposedly big-game hunter turned naturalist/photographer in the 60s, said a iron sighted bolt gun in .30-06, was his weapon of choice while in the field in africa, for protection of him and his family, and not as a primary hunting round .
I saw him roll a flat out charging, very large male lion, not 20 feet from him while all being shakely filmed by his wife. The headshot drew a grapefruit sized ball of hair out of it's head, bang/flop of course. Iron sights and nerves of steel till the shot was right. This left a lasting impression on me as a kid, about the '06!.:)
 
Superbrad said:
Another choice that is not mentioned is Tikka.... I personally like Remingtons and have never been let down by any of my Rem rifles or shotguns but I must admit I have also heard many warranty nightmares from reputable sources...
Click to expand...

I have a personal preference for not Remingtons, but to be fair, one has to know the proportion of warranty nightmares out of the total number of guns sold to judge whether the quality really has gone down. The more you make, the more mistakes you will make. We can't tell if they are putting out more lemons or they always made that many but handled the warranty claims better. Unhappy customers talk a lot more than happy ones.
 
My 30-06 is a Rem 700 LSS barrel shortened to 20" I was loading it with 165r Accubonds and 180gr Scirroco's but have just recently decided to load .588 BC 200gr Accubonds...
 
The Rem.700 would prolly be the most accurate of the bunch, but it depends on how it feels and fits, some rifles just feel better then others. The new model 70s are nice as well.
 
The new Model 70 as made by FN in South Carolina,...I'd opt for the Featherweight or Extreme Weather versions,......the Sporter being quite a heavy rifle for the 30-06.
If I were buying a new 30-06 bolt gun off the rack my search would start and end with the M70.
 
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